CycleDog: (n) 1. An all-weather bicyclist, often regarded as one very sick puppy with a bad attitude. 2. A ankle-biting poodle with a Mohawk. (l)Canis
familiaris cyclus

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Konica Auto S2 update

A neighborhood cat taking up residence on our porch.

The first roll of film through this camera was wasted. It was an old roll that a co-worker had given to me, and apparently it was exposed to high heat for a very long time. The negative was entirely magenta. I was worried, of course, that one of the light seals I'd installed was bad, so I gave the camera a careful inspection before loading another test roll. This one came out much better, as you can see.

Storm clouds over 76th Street.

Some of these were taken using a Minolta Autometer IIIf to determine exposure. Yes, I know the meter is worth more than the camera! Some were taken using the camera's auto exposure. I took two of this locomotive, and to be honest, I can't see a difference between the manual and the auto exposure.

The Konica has a depth of field scale as does the Yashica Electro series. That can make the camera almost a point-and-shoot model if there's enough light. The Canon Canonet doesn't have a scale, but it's definitely smaller and lighter than either of the others.

Tally's Cafe, Tulsa. Portrait by window light.

In the full size original, there's a tremendous amount of detail. I like shooting by window light but it can be a trial for both the film and the lens. Oh, this is some guy from Texas.

Some guy from Oklahoma wearing a LOUD Hawaiian shirt.

Like I said, when you use the depth of field scale, you can guesstimate the range and still get good photos. Just be thankful that more of the Hawaiian shirt isn't showing, especially if you haven't eaten yet. Thousands of years from now, someone will dig this thing up from a landfill and say, "Dang, this shirt still looks like new! But whoever wore it had lousy taste!"

I work with a guy from Hawaii, Fritz, and he says that I have only one genuine Hawaiian shirt. He even identified the flowers on it. I usually buy them from the bargain rack at Kohls when they go on sale about mid-summer. I can get a shirt for less than $10, sometimes even under $5. They're cheaper than work shirts and no one notices if I spill some paint on one. One caveat, though, is if you work in an ESD area, you absolutely must wear a static strap to get rid of any stray charges. Most of the shirts are 100% synthetic and they will develop a static charge.